Jimtown, Adamsville, Iron Hill, Fleets Loop & Control Panels

Progress has been made in a number of areas during the second half of March. Thanks to all that have contributed especially BJ & Chris for the extra sessions.

Jimtown
The following details have been added since the last post: Track Markers, Water Column, Silo Office, Crates to the Freight Station and Farmer delivering milk to the Cold Store.

Adamsville
The Stanvac end of the yard starts to get its details. Grain Elevator, Silos, Water Tank and Run Down Building with broken windows and gutter starting to fall.

Iron Hill
Chris and BJ have been hard at work with ground cover and detailing Iron Hill. The sequence below shows the progressive approach to getting the basic cover and colouring. BJ has scratch built the ore loader from plywood, cardboard and evergreen plastic sections. Barry has build the conveyor sections that BJ has painted. I think the end result is great have a look below...

Ground Cover
The boys at work. Chris did the general ground cover and BJ followed up with larger materials, basic greenery and crushed iron ore.

After this BJ used his air brush to "wet down" the materials with the usual wetting solution and he had absolutely no blotches or runs and when the white glue solution was applied using the normal pipette method it flowed evenly without any "drop" impressions or "floaters". The whole wet down and glue process took BJ about 3 hours for the entire area pictured.

Ore Loader

The only structure that remains to be constructed is the storage hopper to feed the conveyor at the end of the haul road from the mine.

Below id BJ's mark out on the plywood from which it will be constructed.

Fleets Loop
Chris has been very busy wiring up the six points leading to and from the storage tracks at Fleets Loop. Chris and I also cut in the additional curved point for the Stirling Branch which leads to six hidden staging tracks.

Bottom view

Top View

Stirling Branch Turnout

Control Panels
I have been busy mounting switches and LED's in the face of the panel and marking up the back of the panel with the turnout designations.

Progress Photos

Finished

No ready for the long and tedious job of connecting the switches and LEDs to the terminal strips....

March Happenings

Subjects for this update include: Joe Fugate's videos, Jimtown, Structures, Trackwork, Bottom Level Control Panel and Turnout Wiring & Testing.

Joe Fugate's Videos

BJ, Chris, Myself and the rest of the Monday night crew have been watching, at supper time, Joe Fugate's Siskiyou Lines Videos "Model Railroad videos 1-5" which we have found quite interesting.  The unique mushroom design is very innovative.  I have found Volume 4 in particular the construction of trestles informative.  I am thinking of using a similar method on a number of bridges on the approach to Daveyston on the Huntington Branch.

See a few screen shots below:

A great set of Videos. The "Model Railroad OPs Session Live no.1, 2, 3 & 4" ones and "HOT Trains Volume 1 - Alco Mania!" await!


Jimtown
BJ has been busy adding scenery details and structures, see below:

The approach from the bridge crossing coming from Stanvac Junction.

The cutting by the industrial side of town on the approach (sideways look at the center section of the photo above).

Another view of the cutting looking from the industrial side.

The main line and passing siding with the milk depot, freight station and silos before the bridge.

The silo office is still to be placed in the vicinity of the tree next to the silo.

The scratch built milk depot.

Marker posts on track to bridge.

A small cattle yard and loading ramp will be added between the fascia and the tracks.


Structures
BJ and Barry have been busy with scratch and kit building.

BJ commencing the scratch building of the Silo Depot Office.

Barry building more ore conveyor sections for the Iron Hill Loading facility - only 1 1/2 sections left to go of a total of nine sections (Bob in the background).


Trackwork
Rossco has been busy installing copper sleepers at non insulated rail joiner locations.

Bottom Level Control Panel

I have finally completed wiring all bottom mainline turn out wires back to the terminal blocks ready to receive the corresponding control panel devices.


Turnout Wiring and Testing
Bob (above) and Chris (below) doing final adjustments on the last two of the currently installed point motors/

Since this Chris has commenced terminating the eight turnout cables at Fleets Loop.

Thanks for all the assistance guys it is appreciated.